Abstract
The existence of active and participating citizens is an essential part of a democratic society. In recent years, the concept of political participation has expanded, and new ways of involving individuals and groups in community or local decision-making processes have emerged. Participatory budgeting is one of the ways citizens participate in public decision-making. This research provides a comparative analysis on development of selected factors influencing the sustainability of participatory budgeting in regional cities (urban regional centres) in Czechia and Slovakia. The analysis is complemented by case studies in two cities that run the participatory budgeting the longest (Brno in Czechia, Banská Bystrica in Slovakia). The findings indicate relatively low interest in participatory budgeting in both countries and conflicting goals for ensuring sustainability, e.g. development in the amount allocated for PB. The paper summarises the latest developments of PB in the analysed urban regional centres. It adds to the knowledge of this tool in the context of the Central and Eastern Europe region and helps policymakers focus on important factors influencing the sustainability of participatory budgeting.